And, no, I’m not a hater. I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, and I’d love to see more. But I’m looking at this with the pragmatic eye of a story-teller. Let me explain.

We knew, by the 2nd or 3rd book that Dumbledore would die. It was clear that we were seeing the set-up for a battle between the ultimate underdog vs. an incredibly powerful, evil wizard. We knew that such a battle would never work if the greatest wizard in the world was standing in the wings ready to slap Harry’s hand and jump into the square circle with him . . . so we knew that Dumbledore had to die before the story could conclude.

But here's the thing: As of the end of Deathly Hallows, we had a new ‘World’s Greatest Wizard’.

The recent talk of Pottermore has generated interest in the possibility of new books and the obvious choice for a follow-up would be to feature the kids that we saw at the end of DH. Sure, J. K. Rowling could start the story with all new characters at a different time . . . but that wouldn’t give us what we want.

A story featuring the new kids would be the only thing that would capture all of the magic of the first series for the fans . . . and for that to work, Harry must die. So your choice is: Get new books and watch Harry die . . . or do without any new books.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s the way I see it.

In the case of the Harry Potter character and a new series, “Neither can live while the other survives”.